Hey everyone! We hope you are all doing well! Sorry we didn't get the update out last week - I've been pretty busy with work and we've had a few guests lately. How's the weather? Well, there was a record high on February 5th - it got up to 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit). That's pretty warm for a February day in London. We're still trying to get used to the whole Celsius thing (but we know the conversion rate - multiply Fahrenheit by 1.8 then add 32). The next ten days are going to be pretty cold. The low shows -1 and the high is 9 (that's in degrees Celsius).

What's been going on since the last update? We went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. Portobello Road has shops and tents set up on both sides of the street for over a mile. They sold everything from designer clothes to antiques to fruits and vegetables. Check out the picture on the left - yep, that's Jill holding none other than an ALABAMA license plate. Can you believe that? Out of all the things in London we find an Alabama license plate for sale. She bought it - just kidding, but she thought about it. We've had our first few visitors during the last couple of weeks. Steve, Dave, and Chance flew in a couple of weeks ago. Kerrie and Bart were here the week after that. It sure was good to see everyone. Here's Chance, Dave, Steve, me, and Jill at dinner in London one night. We had a great time with you guys - thanks for taking care of us Steve!

Jill and I celebrated our two year anniversary on February 9th. What a wonderful two years life has been! We went out to eat at a Japanese restaurant in Central London called Nobu. It was great! They didn't offer forks, so I decided to act like I knew what was up and I ate every bit of my meal with chopsticks. I sure was hungry afterwards because I couldn't pick up much food - just kidding - I actually cleaned my plate! Jill was impressed and said she'd keep me. I got a bowl of soup with my meal - but no spoon. The lid looked like a miniature bowl, so I figured that it was made to pour some soup into the lid and eat it that way - just to make sure, I asked our waitress - glad I did - she laughed and said to just sip right out of the bowl. It was interesting. They had some good martinis and Jill said it had the best Bloody Mary she's ever had. This is one of the best restaurants we've been to.

Bart and Kerrie got here last Saturday (Valentine's Day). It was great to see them too! We had a blast and we were going non-stop. They were only here for a few days, so we had to cram in as much as we could. I think they were pretty worn out by the time they left. We ate dinner that night at a place called the @venue. It was right down the street from Buckingham Palace (known as Buck House to the locals), so we swung by there on the way. The food was awesome, the atmosphere was great - it was a really good Valentine's Day dinner!! After dinner, we went down the street to a really nice bar called Cafe de Paris. It was a neat little place around Piccadilly Circus. And to make sure to cap off a romantic evening, we walked across the Thames River near Big Ben and the London Eye (which was lit up in all pink lights for the occasion). Bart and I should have gained a few points after this Valentine's night!

The next day, we all went and toured the Tower of London. It's one of the most famous castles in the world. It dates back to William the Conqueror of 1066. There are many stories of torture chambers and of all the people that were killed there. Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, was beheaded here for committing adultery. I could have stayed there all day touring, but everyone else gave me enough hints that they were ready to go.

We went to the London Dungeon later that day. It was really neat - it had a bunch of blood, guts, bodies, etc all over the place. It showed all kinds of history from Jack the Ripper to the Great Plague. The Great Plague was when all of the rats had disease-ridden fleas on them. The people who caught the plague were put in wooden boxes for isolation.

We had one little problem when Kerrie and Bart were here. We have this blow-up bed (called an aerobed or something). It's one of those nice ones that blows up automatically in less than a minute - Jill and I have slept on it several times and it's really comfortable. Well, the first night when Kerrie and Bart are about to fall over from exhaustion (since they still had jet-lag and didn't get much sleep), we got the bed out for them. Any guesses about what happens next? We plugged it in to the UK plug adapter and pushed the button. The motor sounded like a Mack truck rolling down a cliff and we could smell a slight burning smell. So they had to take the couch pillows off and make a pallet to sleep on - we still feel terrible about this. A day late and a dollar short, we went and found a plug adapter that converts voltage - we weren't sure if the motor was burned up or not, but we tried it anyway - it looks like it's going to work now - Kerrie and Bart, you'll have to come visit us again and try the aerobed this time!

The night before they left, we went and saw the play "When Harry Met Sally". Luke Perry (from 90210) was Harry and Alyson Hannigan (band camp girl from American Pie) was Sally. It was an awesome play - they were great! We got to meet them after the show. Speaking of famous people, we all swung by the BAFTA Awards and Jill and Kerrie saw Alicia Silverstone. Bart and I couldn't see her because we were too busy holding our wives up so they could see over everybody. What great husbands they have!

My job is going great - I'm having lots of fun learning everything and I'm really enjoying the work itself. I've been working really hard lately - I usually work all day then come home and pick it back up after dinner until I can't stay awake anymore. We just put our client into production last week, so things should calm down pretty soon. I think I know why people walk fast around here - to get out of the cold quicker. My pace has picked up quite a bit - I'm no longer the last one when walking to work - and I've actually been known to pass a person or two lately.

Jill is still going into London and taking dance classes and applying for jobs. She is still incredible. I'm not sure if I want her to find a job or not - every night I come home from work she has hot dinner ready for me on the table (coffee table that is). And she has washed all of the clothes, washed the dishes, and cleaned up the apartment. I can get used to this - she is amazing!

We miss the gym. We walk a lot, but we haven't lifted weights or run since we've been here. I don't have time for a gym right now with my 4-hour commute each day - there's no way I could get up any earlier, and by the time I get home each night it's too late. Hopefully I'll be able to work from home quite a bit in the future - otherwise, I may come home 50 pounds heavier!

Some quick bits before we wrap this up - The service is just not the same in restaurants. If you want ice, you better ask for it - and ask for lots of ice unless you're happy with three cubes. And you might as well order two drinks at a time because they sure don't check on you very often. And the check - apparently it's rude for them to ask you when you want the check, so if you're in a hurry, you better flag them down or you'll be there all night.

I was asked twice if I was Canadian - I've never been accused of being an American yet. When you buy groceries, you have to bag your own - and you've got to be quick or else you'll hold up the queue (they don't call them "lines" over here). I got some dirty looks the first time I bagged slowly - we've mastered it now - Jill pays while I bag and we're done just like that!

Phone bills - awful! There are no "free local calls". Every call is charged except for toll free numbers. If I call another flat in my same building it costs me money. Our first bill was pretty steep. The US dollar hit a record low this past week - not a good time for us to be over here - the exchange rate is like $1.90 for one pound. It gets expensive really quick over here. Jill and I were walking across the Thames one night looking at Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Parliament. She asked what time it was and I told her I wasn't sure. I eventually had to look at my watch. About five minutes later we both realized that Big Ben was right in front of our faces with a huge clock on all four sides. I'm just glad we didn't ask anyone else.

Well, that's what we've been up to since our last update. We've taken several more pictures around here and they are up on our pictures page - check them out here. Thanks to those who have signed our guest book, emailed, and called us. It's great to hear from you and to see how you're doing and what you've been up to. Please keep in touch and don't be afraid to give us a call or send us some email. Our next visitor will be Jackie (Jill's mom) on March 5th- Jackie, we are looking forward to seeing you and we can't wait! Our flat is always open, so those of you who have not visited us, you are more than welcome! We'd love to see you! We hope you and your families are doing well and we hope you have a great week! We love and miss you guys! Take care and God bless!